Building competence in radiation and nuclear safety through education and training – the approach of a national regulatory authority

The Greek Atomic Energy Commission (EEAE) is the national competent authority for radiation and nuclear safety and security as well as for the radiation protection of ionizing and artificially produced non-ionizing radiation. The legal framework determines, inter alia, the responsibilities in education and training issues. The EEAE has a range of activities, in providing postgraduate and continuous education and training on radiation protection, and nuclear safety and security, at the national and international levels. At the national level, and particularly in the medical field, the EEAE is a participant in and a major contributor to the Inter-University Postgraduate Program on Medical Radiation Physics. Since 2003, the EEAE has been the Regional Training Center (RTC) for radiation, transport and waste safety of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the European Region in the English language. Moreover, the EEAE has also been recognized as the IAEA's Regional Training Center (RTC) in nuclear security in the English language since 2013. The EEAE recently proceeded to two significant initiatives: the design of a national program for education and training, and the certification of the Department of Education according to ISO 29990:2010. In this paper, the initiatives taken to enhance the radiation protection system in the country through education and training are presented.